Tomato Hoop House

9 years ago

We never have enough room to plant all the tomatoes and tomato varieties that we would like in our GH. This year we decided to convert one of our outside raised beds 12" x 5' x 16' to a tomato hoop house of sorts.

We have the general idea of what we want to do - but are just not sure yet - how to do it. The raised bed is located close to the GH so we do have power to run a space heater if necessary in the early spring. We decided to plant determinate tomato plants in the hoop house - Clear Pink Early, New Big Dwarf, Siletz, & Bush Early Girl (this year) - to keep the hoop house at 50" - 60" in height.

Please share any photos you may have of the hoop houses where you have grown tomatoes with success. We still have a few of months before the snow melts and we can get started. We would like to get the materials ordered once we decide how to construct the hoop house - your ideas and experience will be helpful. We need to determine the type of materials for the framework and hoop house cover - and how to construct the ends - with easy access.

This is how the raised beds look now. We plan to make a hoop house on the bed the furtherest away in the photo and adjacent to the GH.

Comments (7)

muscadines978
9 years ago
love your set up.
Good luck,

hans
jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
9 years ago
Do you want to be able to stand up in this or just cover it?

Jay
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jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
9 years ago
Check out this link, it may be what you are looking for.

Jay

Here is a link that might be useful: Gothic tunnels
hudson___wy
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks Jay !! I found the Gothic Tunnel guide very helpful. I want something simple that I can remove quickly with about 60" height - the Gothic Tunnel appears to be what I think will work for our purpose. Did you build any mid tunnels similar to the literature? Please share any photos of what you may have built - Thanks!
jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
9 years ago
I have not built any of these. I was at a conference and was talking to the person who built these and put together the guide. I have only used low tunnels, in the winter. I have low/mid tunnels inside our high tunnels, if needed. But they are only wood posts with string along the top to support the row cover. Very simple, cheap and easy to construct.
mrlupin
8 years ago
Houston, did you ever get around to building your hoophouse? I'd be more than happy to discuss what I've done with my hoop house. You can get my number from Jeff.

Kevin
hudson___wy
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks Kevin - small world - I'll talk with Jeff and get your number. I have not moved forward with a hoop house. My wife has requested a modified hoop house with post & pole construction - multipurpose GH. Still under review and waiting to be funded (that's the hard part - haha). But I would still like to give you a call and listen to what you have done.

Thanks!